Shell Fishers Are

Australia’S Problem

THE Australian Minister in charge of Fisheries announced at Can berra on August 27 that Australia had asked Japan to negotiate a fish ing agreement. The Minister denied any knowledge of rumours that the Japanese are at present preparing a large pearl-fishing fleet with mother ships, similar to a whaling expedi tion, with the intention of fishing the waters north and north-west of Australia, outside territorial waters.

It will be recalled that the Au tralian House of Representatives, o March 6, passed the Pearl Fisherh Bill and the Fisheries Bill, both c which empower the Minister to prc claim waters beyond the three-mi] limit, with the clear intention of ei eluding Japanese pearl-fishermen i particular from some of the be: shell beds which lie outside Au: tralia s present territorial waters.

At that time it was pointed or that, whilst the legislation was “pei fectly valid it still required an agree ment with Japan to ensure its en forcement on the internationa plane.” In plain language, accordin; to present international Law, th Minister would have no power t prevent or interfere with foreigi fishermen outside the accepted terri torial waters of Australia.

As Australian fishermen are mos unlikely to want to fish in the vicin ity of Japan, it will bk interestinj to see what Australia has to offe Japan as an inducement to keep ou of the lucrative—and at presen unfished pearling grounds beyoni Australia’s three-mile limit in north ern waters, but within the Austral ian continental shelf’s 100-fathon line.

Red Submarines?

A LTHOUGH Japanese vessels an being more frequently reportec among the South Pacific Islands, th< submarines which are said to hav( been seen in New Guinea waters ir recent months are thought to b< Russian—not Japanese.

Addressing a Returned Soldier; League in Australia in late August Mr. George K. Whittaker, well known Lae resident, said that Russian submarines—some carrying Chinese—had been seen on a number of occasions in New Guinea waters.

His statement was given prominence in most Australian newspapers; but Canberra politicians ‘‘played down’ the report.

The Muscovite Power has assem bled a fleet of powerful, long-dis tance submarines in Manchurian and Chinese ports and, if World War 111 comes, they surely will be used! against all Western shipping in the Pacific. It is equally certain that those submarines are being sent outi on long practice cruises.

The Australian Parliament was as sured, in late August, that the re ported presence of unidentified sub marines in the vicinity of Emiraui (northern end of New Ireland) was; a figment of someone’s imagination., Such incidents always are attended! by a certain amount of hysteria.

[ It would not be surprising to see Led subs in the South Pacific, never leless. It is worth noting that there re good air-strips—made in World Par ll—on isolated New Guinea lands such as Emirau and Nissan, hey are completely abandoned ow; but an old NG planter who ex tnined the Nissan strip in June in )rms us that it is “practically as X)d as ever.”

Fleet Of Jap Whale

Chasers

One dark night in May, when the iter-island vessel Maimuna, en route ) Rabaul, was half-way across the ondred miles stretch of water be veen north end of Buka and south ad of New Ireland, it suddenly mnd itself surrounded by lights. A lan aboard counted seven lights, ad the vessels carrying them seemed > be headed generally for North uka —small ships with a single lasthead light. Later in the night, le Maimuna passed a single big lip, going the same way. The skip ir knew nothing of any big ships ;ing in that area.

Later, in Rabaul, it was ascer

tained that they were a Japanese whaling fleet—mother-ship and chasers; and they had omitted to notify anyone of their presence.

About August 25, the Rabaul trading ship Polurrian noticed a large ship, about 12,000 tons, in the vicinity of the Carteret Islands (50 miles northeast of Buka). It later was ascertained that she had been thereabouts for two days, and the natives reported that What appeared tO be

Japanese had been ashore buying bananas, etc.—apparently they Were whale-men. They were near Nissan, where there is a very good air-strip.

It does not appear that such casual visitors, when sailing through an archipelago, are obliged to identify themselves to officialdom ashore—al though it is customary. But it is an entirely different thing when the voyagers go ashore and make con

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tact with the natives. For reasons of health, customs and propaganda, alone, they are under the most di rect obligation to report themselves officially.

[Apan And New Caledonia

k REPORT from Tokio, that t*- France has invited Japan to lend 2,000 single men to New Cale ionia, to work in the nickel and ihrome industries, has been received pith misgivings in Australia. Minis ers said at the end of August they yere seeking further information. [ The efforts of French New Cale lonian industrialists to provide them elves with foreign indentured labour lave been viewed with apprehension iver the years by Australia, which is measy about Asiatic settlement close 0 her shores. For many years, Tench interests in New Caledonia nd New Hebrides used indentured ibour from Java and Indo-China. hiring World War 11, the repatria on system broke down, and the la ourers could not return. Some of le Javanese since have gone home; ut it is estimated there now are ermanently settled in New Caledo ia and New Hebrides between 6,000 nd 8,000 Tonkinese and Indones ia. They have been permitted to ring in their women, and their num ers are increasing steadily.

Before World War 11, there were ist over 1,000 Japanese settled in lew Caledonia. They had interests 1 the metal industries and a firm old in the distributing trade; but ley were repatriated after the sur ender of Japan. Because of its lineral riches, New Caledonia is )veted by Japan, and as the French )lony is only a few hundred miles om the Queensland coast, Australia keenly interested in developments lere.